Football Season Guide

Having obtained the Coppa Italia in the final against their arch-enemies Roma at the very end of the season, Lazio succeeded saving what had, otherwise, been a disappointing campaign. In fact, they saw what seemed to be a sure qualification to the Champions League slip from their hands during the spring thanks to a long-lasting losing streak. This was not due totally to coach Petkovic’s faults but to the limits of a squad built for fighting just for one competition rather than three. In order to avoid such problems, Lazio management were expected to invest over the summer some more money than they usually did. Apparently, this has happened. In particular, the arrivals of Felipe Anderson and Biglia should bring some alternatives for the midfield while Novaretti, Elez and Vinicius should give the back four the depth they lacked in the recent past. The young Perea should bring some muscles to the attack where Klose is the undisputed leader. With the exception of Felipe Anderson, who could be seen as Hernanes’s double and this could mean that the Prophet’s future is at stake, though, none of the newcomers seems likely to make the starting eleven yet. So, it should remain quite unaltered with one exception: the absence of captain Mauri, who is facing a 6-month ban due to match-fixing. Despite the new signings, the Eagles did not really improve offensively. The lack of a real goal-scoring alternative to Klose has not been properly resolved.